Project Recap: Headed Towards Xmas

I only just realised today how close we are to Chrimbo! I guess I should have known, given the recent spate of text messages from people wanting to set up the annual work-night piss-ups. It'll be the same story as ever: we'll have a good time catching up, swear that we'll meet up more often and then never manage to find time, except maybe for a bbq in the summer. Such is life, especially in the city.

At least this year I'll have something new to bore people with... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Last stop for the Swirling Mists of Time! All aboard!

So, we got back from Morrocco and I jacked in metal music. How does the saying go? As one door closes, another one opens. I'd been contacted by a fellow strum-meister who'd got together 3 other guitarists and a drummer. He wanted to know whether I'd be interested in coming in on the ground level of his new band. It didn't sound that promising... I mean, what a line-up! 4 guitarists!... Nevertheless I said 'yes' and went along to meet the guys. It turned out that one guitarist wanted to play bass and one wanted to focus on singing, which left a two guitar, bass, drums, vox line-up. Things were looking up!

So, flashing forward to the present day, there's been some drama, but there's still the band. Everyone's keenly looking forward to getting out there and gigging, to making a name for ourselves on the sawdust and stale beer circuit.

I make music, therefore I am... a musician! I look forward to the concussion sustained from that first half-filled beer bottle slung at the stage.

Once again, I want to thank everyone of you who's watched and helped along the way over the course of the year. I'm sincerely grateful to each and every one of you.

So what's next? Well, the sands of time have run out so The Project as such. I've really enjoyed blogging about the journey so I think I shall carry on... I just need to come up with a new plan for what to write about, I suppose.

And yes, I look forward to boring friends silly over drinks, regaling them of tales from The Project and letting them know that they need to make sure they come along to our first gig...

Project Recap: Summer 2008

The summer, such as it was in the UK, turned out to be a dry patch for The Project. I'd got to the stage where I knew I wanted to play in a band and was 'out there' looking for other musos, but to no avail. Getting two people into a studio was hard enough, what with everyone heading off on their hols. Trying to get a whole band in one place at the same time proved to be impossible.

So, in the project recap we're lumping July, August and September into one lazy, hazy summer reminiscence!

July:
Move along, nothing to see here! Really! I was really starting to get frustrated with all the 'Join My Band' type websites and the flaky people who inhabit them (most of whom hadn't as yet escaped the ravages of puberty). Finding people to play with was an (unsuccessful) exercise in patience.

August:
Well, the project took a bit of a left turn in August. Having failed miserably to find anyone to play with to date, out of the blue I landed a sesh with a nascent metal band. They had a singer, one guitarist and a drummer. I was invited along to a rehearsal (along with another guitarist) to shake the tree and see whether anything fell out. Unfortunately, what fell out was my elbow joint! Metal strumming simply didn't suit me, it seemed, and as I was approaching light speed on some of the faster riffs the muscles in my right forearm simply gave up the ghost. Shooting pains. Tennis elbow. Ouch. Basically, that not only screwed me as far as playing metal was concerned, but made any kind of strumming incredibly painful!

September:
Upon our return from a brief trip to Morrocco I came to the realisation that there was no way I'd cut it as a metalhead. I let the other guys in the band know that I was done and I moved on. I'll admit I was fairly despondent about this as I had felt I'd fluffed a good opportunity. September came, September went. Things were not looking good!

Project Recap: June 2008

Bo Diddley died, my trans-atlantic in-laws descended upon us, I started my new job. We also had a bit of a concert run, culminating in the fateful Robert Randolph & The Family Band show.

Fateful? Painful! The show itself was great, but it was in the crowded, overheated Borderline club. Something in my back went and I was laid up for most of the weekend. I think that was the point that I revisited my idea of getting in shape more... core stability... core stability...

Luckily, since starting a new training regime I've not had any back issues. I distinctly remember my 5-hour session with the metal band, though. At around the 3-hour mark I found myself forced to lean against the rehearsal room wall to stop myself from collapsing!

Well... I spoke with my valve supplier... despite having ordered a new Tung-Sol 12AX7 a week and a half ago, my order still has yet to be processed. So much for speedy service! Must be Christmas, eh?

What I really need to do is replace every single part in my old VS100 and turn it into one of these bad boys...



I've only played a Mesa Boogie amp once, and it wasn't even the Lonestar Special, but this puppy is high on my 'I WANT ONE' list. If only it matched the furniture it'd be an easier sell... amp cover, anyone?

Smart money's on sticking with a small all-valve practice amp that works for home use and recording, though. Perhaps the highly rated 5W Epiphone Valve Jr is one way to go... though I just priced it and guys, for those of you who snatched up the latest model for just £75... you made out like bandits! It's now retailing at over £130! Damn!

Project Recap: May 2008

Around about May I was starting to believe that maybe I could pull this thing off. I'd had my introduction to rehearsal rooms (thanks to Col of Axe Victim/Magic Ship fame), my juices were flowing and I felt like I was moving forwards. Not only that, but I gave up trying to make my daily commute more productive and simply secured a new job in the city (but not a 'city job').

Then the sun came out... and I, being a complete sun-whore, couldn't stay indoors!

The month passed with precious little movement on The Project. Moreover, little did I know that the summer months ahead and people's vacations and so on would cause such problems.

Well, this weekend was interesting. We went to a fancy-dress party on Saturday night, the theme of which was 'what you wanted to be when you grew up'. Many superheroes, a Bond. I shot for Rock Star and got the rather dubious compliment from one of the less into-it guests that at least she wasn't the only person who couldn't be bothered to dress up!

Played some guitar but not as much as I should have. Our internet and phone connections were out, so I had no way to investigate the new songs I'm supposed to be learning. Hey ho...

Still no news on my replacement valve and I've had no response to communications with the vendor's sales department! Still, they've not taken any money, so... maybe they've gone bust! Maybe I should take Col's suggestion and go and try out some all-valve amps to match up with my Les Paul properly!

Project Recap: April 2008

So, at the start of April I was running out of ideas as to how to move forward. I'd taken myself down to open mics but had failed miserably to network with anyone who wanted to collaborate. I'd not written any new material and I hadn't recorded any demos.

Whatever drive I had was petering out and it looked likely that I would remain stuck as a bedroom noodler for the rest of my life.

Just as I was starting to give up, the hand of fate intervened and I got an invite from fellow blogger and top bloke, Col of Axe Victim and the rockin' band Magic Ship. He asked whether I'd be interested in coming over and jamming with his side-project 'The Sociables'. Pre-project Ken would have shit his drawers and run away screaming... 'Fillmore Five' Ken recognised that this was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. At long last a new experience and a quantum leap in the right direction! I'm still immensely grateful to Col for the opportunity and all the support and advice since then. Without the foot in the door I reckon I'd still be on the outside.

I had momentum again and I started to be more proactive about creating music. I recorded a couple of demos. Despite not being great art, they were something concrete at least. I also started to consider how I could make better use of my time. The 3+ daily commute was starting to take its toll (after two years!) and I hated the fact that it was simply dead time as far as The Project was concerned. Time was ticking away.

Back to today... still no valve in the mail, BUT I did actually get to have a play with another VS100. Whilst the amp itself didn't sound as nice as mine for some reason... perhaps it'd been ridden hard and put away wet... it didn't suffer from any of the background noise that mine does. At least that confirms that there's definitely something wrong! Hopefully a new valve will fix it, otherwise I'm going to have to look at other options.

Project Recap: March 2008

March was the month that I had planned to kick things into high gear, but, in reality, The Project was starting to stall. Pressure was building at work, I had no time to play and the WAES course came to an end, leaving me high and dry. My half-hearted attempts to use sites like 'Join My Band' only led to frustration as I was clearly over the hill as far as the youf market was concerned. Something had to happen soon to get things moving again... but it seemed like I was running out of ideas. Little did I know that the hand of fate was around the corner, waiting to give me a hard shove in the right direction...

In present-day-land, my new valve didn't arrive so practice time last night was a low volume affair. I rechecked the invoice and saw that where I had thought delivery was guaranteed within 4 days, in fact, processing of my order was guaranteed within 4 working days. In other words, the damn thing probably hasn't even been mailed out yet, so I may not even have it in time for the weekend. I'm certain the neighbours didn't mind the reduced noise levels. I have no doubt they're sick and tired of me playing through "Supersonic" at full tilt.

On a whim I signed up for 6 months of "Lick Library"... 6 months seeming to be the minimum subscription at a cost of £1.50 a week. Some of the lessons I was interested in cost £2.50 or so to purchase without membership so I figured 'what harm' to just sign up for a bit.

I don't know whether it'll be a worthwhile investment or not, but I certainly had fun with it for a couple of hours last night. It's much easier to be taught a song than to learn it by yourself. From what I've seen the teachers actually know what they're doing, too, which is unusual! I'm not big on these pay-for-play sites at all but I've been getting seriously tired of searching through YouTube for anything worthwhile that doesn't feature a spotty 13 year old prodigy.

I guess I was interested to check it out, not only because it had a few songs I want to learn, but also to get hints and tips on riff writing and to push me towards genres I wouldn't normally consider. We'll see how it pans out.

The only negative I'd say about the site right off the bat for me is that the song choice veers towards the heavier side of rock. If you're interested in joining then take time to look through the track listings to see whether the style you want to achieve is represented... Also, for no apparent reason from time to time it seems to log me out so that I have to re-login to view paid-for material. I wouldn't suggest it for a beginner guitarist, though. I think it's more aimed at someone who knows what they're doing and who wants to learn songs.

I've not really checked out all the jam tracks, but it's interesting to me that there seem to be more backing tracks than lessons. For example, if you search for Eric Clapton you get:

Tutorials:
Cocaine
Crossroads
Hideaway
Layla
Wonderful Tonight
Tears In Heaven

Jamtrax:
Bad Love
Badge
Before You Accuse Me
Change The World
Cocaine
Crossroads
Hideaway
Layla
Layla (Unplugged)
Old Love
Tears In Heaven
Wonderful Tonight

That's not a bad thing... it just surprised me.

Project Recap: February 2008

Geez, February saw me in a really reflective, yet strangely forward looking, mood. I was really into the WAES acoustic course, totally pre-occupied with learning to play the intro to Jack Johnson's "Taylor". Boy-oh-boy, did I build up some calluses with that puppy! Someday I'll revisit it and have another go, but I definitely remember getting so sick and tired of trying (and failing) to get the synchopation down at the time that I was about ready to smash Blackie into a million pieces.

We took a quick trip to psychadelic Amsterdam and even before coming home I was missing the cool, creative vibe there. It has dark and seedy aspects, but they only serve to add spice to the mix. Watch out, though. The Dutch government are planning on cleaning up the city, forcing coffee-shops and brothels near to schools and churches to close down. The city will change, that's for sure. I love amsterdam and will hate to see it change, but I do get why they think it's a good idea. It will be a shame, though, if some of the more historic establishments can't be kept on under 'grandfather' laws.

Our Amsterdam trip also put me in mind of how I used to feel when we'd head over to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Good times, good times.

On The Project front, that was about it. I was trying to build up my confidence through the WAES course, knowing full well that once I was done with that I'd have to pull my finger out and try and 'get out there'.

Travelling back through the swirling mists of time to RIGHT NOW, I was reading (I think) "Classic Rock" magazine over the weekend and it had a couple of snippets about Genesis, over in Way-Back-When land. It made mention of "Selling England By The Pound", something like their 5th studio album and the one just before 1974's "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" which, to me, has always been their opus magnus. After "Lamb" Peter Gabriel quit the band and headed off to pursue his solo efforts.

Back in the day I used to be a major Genesis freak. This was before I discovered Southern Rock and I think it was what got me hooked on 15 minute overblown swirling instrumental breaks grafted onto rock songs.

The wail of Duane Allman's slide guitar was the death knell for my Genesis phase. I simply stopped listening to those well-worn vinyls and never really went back. Over the years I've replaced the records with CD's, but never really got hooked on them again. I think the spectre of Phil Collins' solo career overshadowed the majesty and freak-a-delicity of The Old Stuff.

Well, today, RIGHT NOW, I'm listening to "Selling England..." and I have to say it's bringing back memories. I had thought that it might provide inspiration for some new tunes or at least riffs, but I do... not... think... so! I like it... I get it sonically, but it's not where I'm at right now.

The other thing I uploaded onto my iPod to have a sneaky listen to this morning was some stuff by Live. They're another band that I used to take guilty pleasure in cranking up. I loved their albums "Throwing Copper" and "The Distance To Here". In a weird way "Secret Samadhi" was probably my favourite.

Then, well, they went all Goddy. Now, I don't mind if people want to sing about religion, spirituality or whatever, but does every single song have to be about how God does this that or the other? I completely lost interest when they released the album "Birds Of Pray". As far as material for 'homage' [cough] goes, there's potential for some rifftastic stuff in there. I'd seriously consider doing a cover of "Waitress" from "Throwing Copper" just because it uses the words 'fucking' and 'bitch' so much!

Come on baby leave some change behind,
She was a bitch, but I don't care,
She brought our food out on time,
And wore a funky barrette in her hair.

Come on baby leave some change behind,
She was a bitch but good enough,
To leave some change,
Everybody's good enough for some change.

The girl's got family,
She needs cash to buy aspirin for her pain,
Everybody's good enough for some change.

We all get the flu,
We all get AIDS,
We've got to stick together after all,
Everybody's good enough for some change,
SOME FUCKING CHANGE!!!

And finally on the list of crap I've put onto my iPod we have... "Pride" (1995 Best Of Living Color). Vernon Reid... should be a few licks to cop in there!

And... again... the new preamp for my Marshall didn't turn up yesterday. The issue with the amp seems to be getting worse and the whine's become noticeable on the clean channel. Not fun. We'll see whether the replacement valve improves things. What I don't want to do is spend £100 getting the amp fixed when I could just get a small all-valve practice/recording amp instead for now... or a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special (you gotta dream, don't you?)

Project Recap: January 2008

Wow, I just re-read the stuff I wrote back in January. I really didn't have a clue what I was doing, did I? Talk about naive! Well, at least I started putting one foot in front of the other, and that got me on the path.

Let's go back to where it all began...

Starting From Zero
...Got Nothing To Lose.

Almost a year ago my husband and I were bellied up to the bar at one of our now-traditional "beer & ribs" joints in Amsterdam. It was mid-afternoon, New Year's Day, and we were well on our way to resurrecting our drunk from the night before. Our last day in Sin City was slipping by. London, and real life, beckoned.

Neither of us are big on making New Year's resolutions but as we sat there chatting about how far we'd come in the past year it seemed only natural to speculate about what we might achieve in the months to come.

During a discussion which ranged from getting more tattoos to deciding whether or not to adopt a child, one theme kept on rearing its ugly head: music. More specifically how I manage to constantly under-achieve when trying to improve.

Another twelve months have passed and I have yet to make significant progress in my playing. Why am I not in a band? When am I going to be good enough to play open mic's or jam sessions?

So, here it is, the question that I'm asking myself for 2008: how can I go from zero to hero in a year?

What happened next? Well, I set myself a preliminary action plan that went something like this:

1) Get Good
2) Record Demos
3) Get Out There

On the 'get good' front I actually did pretty well. I signed up for a course and it really got me motivated to practice daily and improve. I do feel like the nature of the course distracted me somewhat from playing electric, possibly delaying me slightly, but at the same time it got me playing in a group situation and meeting like-minded people.

I never really did record demos and 'getting out there' in terms of meeting other bandmates would come later. I went to loads of open mics but never had the guts to stand up and do my thing, not that I had a thing to do...

Overall, January wasn't a bad start. At least I was moving forwards.

Oh, the other thing I'd recognised was that middle-age spread was creeping in and that I could do with shaping up a bit and working on my image. For a while I did the diet thing, but it wouldn't really be until after having back issues in the summer that I'd seriously look at addressing my weight issue. More of that later, I guess.

The one bit of current news to share with you guys is that I'm awaiting delivery of a new pre-amp tube for my Marshall VS100. It recently developed an annoying whine whilst on the overdrive channels which isn't horrible but it's distracting. Since the amp's possibly 10 years old and the pre-amp tubes are only really expected to last 4-5 years I figured I'd try swapping it out to see whether it made any difference. I'll keep you posted! It's due for delivery today (so I probably won't get it for a week!)